Public Service Commission Doesn’t Help the Public

Nearly a year after the dreadful power outages of the 2012 derecho, the Public Service Commission has finally taken decisive action, to show how well government can regulate utilities to protect consumer interests. They’ve decided … to do nothing.

They did, however, note “a significant and unsatisfactory disconnect between the public’s expectations of the distribution system reliability… and the ability of the present-day electric distribution systems to meet those expectations.”

There are two basic ways to ensure that service providers are aware of the needs of their customers, and remain responsive to those needs. One way is to promulgate and enforce government regulations on the service providers. The other is to have market pressures and competition as the hammer to induce businesses to meet customer needs efficiently and effectively.

Once again, then, we see the impotence of government regulation when it comes to protecting consumer interests Contrast it with the consumer sovereignty in a market system. When products or services don’t meet their expectations, consumers don’t meet for a year to decide to do nothing. They don’t need to become experts in the ins and outs of distribution systems and economic regulation. Instead, they simply move their business elsewhere. The state of Maryland should be focused on revamping the regulatory system to resemble a real market with choice, to enable electricity customers to do just that.